


Music Fills the Infinite Between Two Souls

by GoldenMoon_42



Series: Izzy's IronStrange Bingo 2019 [17]
Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Cellist Tony Stark, Discord: IronStrange Haven, F/F, M/M, Musicians, Pianist Stephen Strange
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:08:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,486
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21897178
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoldenMoon_42/pseuds/GoldenMoon_42
Summary: “Someone catch me!”That phrase was heard across campus. Tony needed someone to catch because if not, his vintage cello would be doomed.~~~~~~~~~~In which Tony needs to find a pianist to accompany him for his final cello recital ASAP!!!!Also Tony didn't see the icy patch while walking with his cello on his back and now he needs someone to catch him.~~~~~~~~~~IronStrange Bingo: VintageIronStrange Haven Weekly Challenges: Fall
Relationships: Christine Palmer/Pepper Potts, James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark, Tony Stark/Stephen Strange
Series: Izzy's IronStrange Bingo 2019 [17]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1362976
Comments: 6
Kudos: 80
Collections: IronStrange Bingo 2019, IronStrange Haven Weekly Challenges, IronStrange Secret Santa 2019





	Music Fills the Infinite Between Two Souls

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Isnt_It_Strange (Caring_Is_Not_An_Advantage)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Caring_Is_Not_An_Advantage/gifts).



> So the IronStrange Haven Server did a Secret Santa, and I decided to write a fic for my giftee, Gremlin_Arts/Isnt_It_Strange on Discord/Tumblr. They gave me three really cute prompts, but I ended up writing for the prompt Musicians IronStrange. I went with the route of college au at Julliard School of Music. 
> 
> Tony is a cellist.  
> Stephen is a pianist.
> 
> They happen to double major, which not a lot of people do at Julliard but seeing as how Tony in the comics is genius and has multiple degrees it just seemed right for him to double major. Stephen, to me, is just ambitious so I can see him tackling things like this.
> 
> IronStrange Bingo: Vintage  
> IronStrange Haven Weekly Challenges: Fall/Autumn
> 
> I decided to use the prompt Fall, but not as in the season but as in the word, fall, falling down.

Music fills the infinite between two souls.

\- Rabindranath Tagore

* * *

Tony was in a panic. He was pacing in music hall, his pace frantic one moment, slow the next. He only had a few months before his final recital performance before he graduated from Julliard. The final performance may be months away, but being prepared was a must if he wanted everything perfect. What had Tony in such a tizzy, was that he had no one to accompany him for some of the pieces that he and his main music teacher had chosen. His partner in crime, Rhodey, was usually his accompanist for the pieces that needed the piano, but Rhodey had said that he wanted “to sit in the audience to watch his little brother cast his magic and mesmerize the audience with his cello.” Tony slowly stopped pacing as a faint blush crept up his face at the memory. Tony felt an overwhelming amount of love drown him as his brother in all but blood had said that. Remembering Rhodey’s words may have brought a warming feeling over Tony, but the panic had returned. He would have asked his other friends within the school, however, they were not pianists but other musicians, singers and other instruments, and actors. Tony loved his friends but right now he was a bit frustrated that they weren’t pianists like his RhodeyBear.

As Tony continued to pace in a panicked haze, he heard a melody. It sounded beautiful, and Tony felt as though the piece put into music how the thoughts, the ideas in his head ran. As Tony listened to the hurried but soft sound of the piano, his pacing stopped and turned towards the music hall that would lead to the piano, to the person playing the piano. As Tony slowly walked into the music auditorium, the place was dark except for the stage, where the person playing the piano could be found. Tony was glad that the auditorium was dark, he didn’t want the person playing to know about him. As Tony kept staring at the pianist, he soon came to realize that the person on the piano was Stephen Strange. Tony was surprised, in all his years at Julliard he never realized that Stephen knew how to play the piano, he only knew that the guy was a composition major, and also a pain in the butt. He was a pain in the butt; every time Tony and Stephen were in the vicinity of each other, Tony would get flustered at Stephen’s snark and to cope with that Tony snarked back. Every time Stephen was around (which Tony always knew about, thanks to Pepper and Rhodey), Tony was filled with a flustered feeling, which he would just as quickly push down in denial.

Shaking his head from his thoughts, Tony went back to listening to Stephen’s playing. Tony felt at peace as he sat listening to Stephen play the piano. He sat in one of the chairs for a few more seconds before getting up and quietly walking out of the auditorium to let Stephen play unobserved.

* * *

Tony was back on campus from the holidays, having spent Christmas with some of his favorite people in the world– his mom and Jarvis and Ana and Aunt Peggy to name a few. After being dropped off by Jarvis and his mom, Tony was slowly making his way to the music building, carefully avoiding the ice that was on the pathway. He didn’t want to slip and destroy his vintage cello. As Tony made his way to the music building, his mind wandered to Stephen. He never knew that Stephen played the piano.  Tony pictured in his mind's eye the scene from that day: Stephen playing the piano, his face handsome and his hands graceful as they hit the keys. Stephen was handsome, his hands graceful as they hit the keys. Stephen’s playing was so smooth it was as if he was gliding across the ice. Tony had thought that Stephen was a composition major, but when he asked Christine, Pepper’s girlfriend and one of Stephen’s best friends, he found out that Stephen was a double major. The guy that he always saw hanging around Christine was both a composition and piano major. Tony never knew that Stephen double majored. Double-majors were rare at Julliard, with less than 8 of them within the school, and Tony was one of them, cello and conducting as the other major. 

Because Tony had was stuck in his head thinking about Stephen and needing his help, Tony stopped looking out for icy patches on the walkway. He totally missed the shiny icy patch in front of him and went from walking straight ahead to slipping on the ice.

Tony realizing the mistake his mistake immediately yelled, “SHIT!!”

“Someone catch me!”

That phrase was heard across campus. Tony needed someone to catch because if not, his vintage cello would be doomed. 

As Tony fell, he closed his eyes waiting for the inevitable destruction of his cello even with its protective case around it. However, the case never made contact with the sidewalk. All Tony could feel was a slender but strong hand around his wrist pulling him towards the person, the other hand slowly making its way towards his back. Tony slowly opened his eyes and looked at his savior straight in the eyes. 

“Oh..” Tony softly gasped. It was a face that he was familiar with. It was the face that he had spent weeks before Christmas break stalking. Stephen was his savior the person that saved his vintage cello from destruction.

Tony stayed in Stephen’s arms, not moving at all, too surprised at being caught and also being mesmerized by the beauty of Stephen’s face. Both Tony’s and Stephen’s faces were close, close enough for Tony to kiss Stephen full on the lips. Slowly Tony tried moving, and Stephen finally realizing their position slowly helped Tony regain his footing. Once Tony was back on his own two feet, he moved back a bit making space between the two of them. Stephen, too, seemed to realize how close they were also moved back a bit, a small awkward laugh bubbling from his lips.

“Thanks for catching me,” said Tony, his cheeks slightly burning from both the cold and the fact that the guy he basically stalked caught him, saved his cello from destruction. Tony looked up to stare at Stephen’s face and he just realized how tall the guy was.

“No problem, I just heard someone yelling for someone to catch them and I just reacted,” muttered Stephen as he raised a hand to scratch his head.

“Again thank you so much for catching me cuz you not only saved me but also my cello,” thanked Tony again, “I would have been heartbroken.”

“I know,” replied Stephen, “it’s a vintage cello isn’t it? Christine told me about your cello.”

“Ah yeah, it’s old and I love the tone of the instrument and yeah it was a gift from my mom and Aunt Peggy a few years back, so I’m really glad that it’s still in one piece.”

“Yes, the timbre of your cello is magnificent.”

“Hey, did you know that this is the first civilized conversation we’ve had since we met?” queried Tony.

“Yeah you’re right,” said Stephen smiling a bit, “but I will still be, in your own words, ‘a pain in the butt’ because I have missed our little snark fest.”

“Oh, hush,” uttered Tony, “well I gotta go and take this cello out of the cold.”

“Ah yes, gotta keep that vintage cello in perfect condition, I’ll see you whenever.”

Both men began to walk the opposite direction, Tony to the music building and Stephen to the dorms. As Tony slowly walked towards the building, he remembered his need for a pianist for his final recital and turning around he looked to see if Stephen was still at the spot that he almost fell, and to his relief, Stephen was still there. Tony walked towards Stephen and he kept walking until they were almost touching, with little space between them.

“Hey, I need a pianist for my final recital and I was wondering if you could be my pianist for some of my pieces?” breathed Tony, and Tony being the spontaneous and daring person he was, continued on speaking asking the man, who was a pain in the butt, an out of the blue question, “also do you wanna go out with me?

Tony could see that Stephen was surprised by the last question, his mouth slightly ajar. Stephen slowly shook his head as if to get rid of the shock.

“To the first question, yes,” answered Stephen, and as Stephen was about to give his response to the second question, Tony watched as Stephen leaned his head down, face getting closer to Tony’s face.

“I thought you’d never ask.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed this!!! Kudos and Comments are awesome!!!
> 
> Find me on [Tumblr](https://music-is-the-voice-of-the-soul.tumblr.com) or [Twitter](https://twitter.com/fe_kween) .


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